XML Publishing with AxKit

Creating the Source XML Documents

Often, many benefits of using an XML publishing framework such as AxKit become obvious only later in a project’s life (e.g., the ability to easily add new heavy-duty features to an existing site, or the power to completely change the look and feel of an entire site without touching its content). Given this, any examples you may choose for this introduction will surely fall short of illustrating AxKit’s real power. Accepting the notion that the task at hand is a bit absurd frees you to have a little fun with it while still learning the basics. Let’s run with the absurdity, and imagine that you are charged with the task of publishing a small site on the very silly subject of cryptozoology.

Cryptozoology (literally, the study of hidden animals) is concerned with the gathering and analysis of data related to animals that are frequently reported by local residents or found in popular folklore, but whose existence the scientific community has not formally recognized. Familiar examples include the Yeti, Loch Ness Monster, and Mokele-Mbembe.

The first document for your site, cryptozoo.xml, contains a list of cryptozoological species (called cryptids by insiders). (See Example 3-1.)

Example 3-1. cryptozoo.xml

<?xml version="1.0"?> <cryptids> <species> <name>Jackalope</name> <habitat>Western North America</habitat> <description> <para> Similar to the Bavarian raurackl (stag-hare), the North American Jackalope resembles a large jackrabbit with small, deer-like ...